Arkansas vs. South Carolina Game 1: How to watch and listen, pitching matchup, forecast, team comparisons

SCHEDULED GAME TIME Friday, 6:30 p.m.

WHERE Baum-Walker Stadium (11,531) in Fayetteville

RECORDS Arkansas 36-12, 17-7 SEC; South Carolina 36-12, 14-19 SEC

LAST 10 Arkansas 6-4; South Carolina 4-6

STREAK Arkansas won 3; South Carolina lost 4

COACHES Arkansas: Dave Van Horn — 832-435 in 21st season at Arkansas and 1,152-594 in 29th season overall in Division I; South Carolina: Mark Kingston — 174-121 in sixth season at South Carolina and 447-301-1 in 14th season overall.

SERIES Arkansas leads 44-35

LAST MEETING Arkansas defeated South Carolina 5-1 on April 23, 2021, to win a three-game series and split a doubleheader in Columbia, S.C.

RADIO Razorback Sports Network can be accessed through local FM and AM affiliates, via the Arkansas Razorbacks Gameday app, via the TuneIn app, via the Varsity Network app or on ArkansasRazorbacks.com. Blackouts may apply.

RADIO ANNOUNCERS Phil Elson (play-by-play) and Bubba Carpenter (analyst)

TELEVISION The game will be streamed by SEC Network-Plus and can be accessed on WatchESPN.com and via the ESPN app (carrier login required).

TV ANNOUNCERS Brett Dolan (play-by-play) and Troy Eklund (analyst)

PITCHING MATCHUP Arkansas LHP Hagen Smith (7-1, 2.56 ERA, 1.23 WHIP in 52 2/3 innings) vs. South Carolina RHP Eli Jones (4-2, 3.38 ERA, 1.15 WHIP in 37 1/3 innings)

FORECAST According to the National Weather Service, Friday will be mostly cloudy with a high of 83 degrees and a low of 66 degrees in Fayetteville. There is a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 a.m. South winds could gust to 20 mph.

TEAM COMPARISONS

ERA: Arkansas 4.98; South Carolina 3.95

Runs Scored Per Game: Arkansas 8.06; South Carolina 8.60

Batting Average: Arkansas .282; South Carolina .284

Opponent Batting Average: Arkansas .262; South Carolina .238

Slugging Percentage: Arkansas .491; South Carolina .541

On-Base Percentage: Arkansas .401; South Carolina .425

Fielding Percentage: Arkansas .978; South Carolina .971

NOTABLE Arkansas is No. 3 and South Carolina is No. 7 in the USA Today Baseball Coaches Poll, which is the poll of record for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette….The Razorbacks are tied with Vanderbilt for the best record in the SEC and have a one-half game lead over LSU in the SEC West….South Carolina is 2 1/2 games behind Vanderbilt in the SEC East….South Carolina right fielder Ethan Petry is the frontrunner to be national freshman of the year. Petry is batting .395 with 21 home runs and 68 RBI….The Gamecocks are playing at Arkansas for the first time since the 2018 NCAA Fayetteville Super Regional. The Razorbacks won two of three games to win that super regional….Both teams have multiple starting position players who are questionable for the series. They include Arkansas center fielder Tavian Josenberger (hamstring), left fielder Jared Wegner (thumb) and second baseman Peyton Stovall (shoulder), and South Carolina second baseman Will McGillis (arm) and shortstop Braylen Wimmer (hamstring)….Arkansas is 28-3 at Baum-Walker Stadium. South Carolina is 9-8 in road games….The Gamecocks were swept last week at Kentucky for their second consecutive series loss. South Carolina also lost 8-5 at home to North Florida on Tuesday….South Carolina right-hander James Hicks is a native Arkansan and graduate of Conway High School.